I just returned from a 3-day trip to Chandigarh, which is, in my opinion, the cleanest Indian city I've seen so far. It's also a fairly manageable-sized city and therefore, bicycle rickshaws are a very common means of travel. I've only been on a cycle rickshaw once before, in Old Delhi during my second week in India. I often think that it's one of the cruelest forms of transportation because someone is literally pedalling and you (and all your weight) around. And you usually don't go much faster than you would on foot. And the rickshaw wallahs do all of this pedaling and sweating for a few rupees.
As I was commenting on the cruelty of cycle rickshaws to Ani, he agreed and said that he often doesn't like to take them. But he also reminded me that this is how these men earn their living, it's their bread and butter, and my attempts to put myself above this form of transportation would also deprive these men of their ability to earn money and feed their families. That was enough for me. I kept my mouth shut and continued to take cycle rickshaws for the rest of the weekend.
As I was commenting on the cruelty of cycle rickshaws to Ani, he agreed and said that he often doesn't like to take them. But he also reminded me that this is how these men earn their living, it's their bread and butter, and my attempts to put myself above this form of transportation would also deprive these men of their ability to earn money and feed their families. That was enough for me. I kept my mouth shut and continued to take cycle rickshaws for the rest of the weekend.
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